Allotment Week Steve's Story

What inspired you to start volunteering with SNfMH and the allotment?

I’ve reached an age where I feel I’ve gained lots of life experience, been successful in my career, happily married for thirty-two years with a grown-up daughter and Grandchild. So thought it was time for me to put something back into the community to hopefully make a difference. I started counsellor training in September 2023 and having reached level three I want to utilise my learned skills. I came across SNfMH and it immediately looked like a good fit to help and use my skills. Then when I was told about the allotment, I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer. I’m a keen gardener and used to have an allotment with my mom some years ago, which was great spending quality time with her and learn from her experience. Most of my gardening knowledge came from my mom.

How does spending time at the allotment benefit your own mental health?

Spending time at the allotment relaxes me, I have a stressful job, so time spent on the allotment slows me down and give me space to think. It connects me with nature. I usually go to the allotment a couple of times a week before work to check over the beds and water when required. It’s a great way to start the day in the calm of the allotment space, listening to the birds and seeing how the vegetables are growing. In addition, I try to get down there at the Weekend to do the work of weeding odd jobs, and generally relaxing. Visiting the allotment on a regular basis re-connects me with seasonality, you certainly notice the change in the seasons. Right now, we’re in the middle of summer, but subtle changes are already taking place as certain plants are finishing and beginning to die back, this will be more evident as we enter September and move into Autumn. It gives me joy to plant seeds then see them grow and develop, then harvest their produce. As growing takes time, it teaches patience, one has to not try to rush and take everything at its own pace. There is also the health benefit of eating fresh vegetables. They really do taste better when freshly picked as opposed to buying form a supermarket. Again, seasonality comes into it as its better to eat produce that’s in season instead of flying it in from halfway across the world just because we want to eat it throughout the year!

What’s your favourite thing to grow and why?

I don’t have one favourite, but several. I really enjoy growing runner beans as they remind me of my late mom, they were something she always grew and when younger, my summer Sunday lunches always included runner beans! In addition, the way they grow always amazes me. They grow so fast. Another favourite are courgettes. This is mainly because they signify summer to me, they’re probably my favourite summer vegetable, Wonderful large plants with huge vibrant yellow flowers, followed by and amazing vegetable, you just have to be careful not to miss one as they continue to grow to the size of marrows if not picked. They’re also so versatile, you can have hem in salads, casseroles, roasted with other veg, they’re perfect in pasta dishes and you can fry them, and you can even have them in a cake – it’s a thing! My favourite winter vegetable has to be a parsnip. They’re a challenge to germinate and grow and often you can have lovely foliage, but a disappointing tap root which is the edible part. I enjoy waiting until the first frosts so they can be picked and then enjoying them throughout the winter. I especially like them roasted with a little honey. They’re so sweet! That said I didn’t have much success with them last year and haven’t planted any this year. They are in planning for next year and I’ll have another go.

What does it mean to you to be able to donate food to the local foodbank?

Donating food to the foodbank makes all the hard work throughout the year worthwhile. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that someone is going to benefit from our hard work on the allotment. I hate that we live in a society deemed to be rich, yet foodbanks are a necessity for some people. I don’t like the unfairness we have in our society and the divide between the have’s and have nots is only widening. It motivates me to know that if I can grow something healthy for someone to eat that otherwise would not have been able to afford then all the work is worth the effort taken to spend time on the allotment in all weathers. I do feel sorry that we cannot offer more produce as the donations only go so far. I’d be happy to have a larger plot to enable us to donate more and make more of a difference to the local community. Overall, taking the produce to the foodbank gives me mixed emotions, there’s the joy of giving something to those in need, but also sadness that so many people rely on the donations. When I last visited the Foodbank, I spent a little time talking to the volunteers and their work left me in awe.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about volunteering or gardening for mental health?

The easy answer is “Go for it” volunteering is so good for one’s mental health. Even with a busy life any spare time volunteering can have a positive impact on someone’s life. It doesn’t have to be a huge commitment; it really is a case of “every little helps” Gardening is a great way to maintain and even improve one’s mental health. It re- connects you with nature and the seasons. You can create lovely flower beds if you wish or grow health foods. You can even just spend time immersed in a garden listening to and watching nature, from the birds to bee’s and other insects. It’s a way of grounding oneself and if you decide to join a community garden or allotment it’s also a way of connecting with other people with similar interests.

How has your experience as a volunteer impacted your life personally?

Volunteering has helped me by giving me a renewed meaning and impetus to help others. Volunteering on the allotment has given me a space for my own self-care and relaxation. I use it as an extension to my own garden so often spend a few hours on the allotment followed by a few on my garden. Working on the journey to wellbeing has given me an opportunity to utilise some of my counselling skills when working with service users. It has also given me access to invaluable training which has helped my personal and professional development.

What’s the one thing you’ve learned about yourself through volunteering?

The main thing I’ve learned through volunteering is that I can actually make a difference. I have the capacity to help others. It has given me the opportunity to explore the space to be the person I am deep down which is someone who cares and wants to help. This was not always visible. Its given me an escape from the corporate self that has dominated my life throughout the years, whether that be work related or my drive to provide for my family.